davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-04-14
The Arkansas Valley Democ

The Arkansas Valley Democrat
published at Arkansas City, in its
issue of last week copies two articles
from the Barton county Democrat for
which we receive no credit.
One of the articles in question our
good friend McIntire, used for an
editorial descriptive of Arkansas City
and Cowley county, substituting
them for Great Bend and Barton
county in the original. The second
article also referred to Great Bend and
instead was substituted Arkansas City.
This is hardly the courtesy we should
expect from our able and generous
contemporary. whoes personal good
will we value so highly.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-04-14

ST. LOUIS has scored an important
victory over. her great rival-Chicago-
in the recently promulgated freight
rates from New York to Missouri River
points. According to that schedule
shippers will save cents on first class,
cents on second class and cents on
third class, by shipping via. st. Louis
instead of Chicago.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-04-14

KANSAS cities have had fierce
struggles this year for city officers,
but we hope they have all acted as
Great Bend has done-forgot the
election and all its feeling the day
after This is the only way to insure
the continuance of the great boom.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-04-14

THERE is every reason for our peo-
PIE to rejoice and look forward to even
greater prosperity in the future than
in the past. Our boom is backed by
all that makes booms permanent. Let
us do our part and the rest shall be
ad ded unto u.s.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-04-14

1t gives us pleasure to announce a
fine girl who made her appearance last
Saturday at the residence of Chas. E.
Dodge. The price of lots ON the north
side will now take another jump.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-04-14
WELL DRILLING!
FARMERS AND STOCKMEN

l have one Of the most complete
well machines ever brought to this
country. 4 am prepared to drill
wells any depth required. / will
guarantee plenty of good water and
a first class job in every respect.
Terms for drilling so cent per foot,
or 75 cent including tubing complete
with Galvanized Iron No. %, 6
inches in diameter, locked and
riveted; the best that is made. Plenty
of water and satisfaction guaranteed,
or no pay required.
Orders left at Henry Wildgen's
barn, south side of the square will
receive prompt attention.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-04-14

WE made the Daily Chronoscope
of Larned, "a short visit last Saturday,
and found it prospering as it deserves
to. The papers of Kansas are doing
a great work for the state.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-04-14

Graining, Decorating, Paper Hanging and Fresco-
ing. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Shop north side of
square. I'm
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20
Railroad Managers VS.. Public Interests

Congressman Butterworth, as at
torney for some Ohio river steam
boats, in q recent argument before
the Federal railroad commission,
said:
He maintained that the railroads
were the agencRs of the government,
and that the powers conferred upon
them were conferred by all the citi
zens, and hence should not be eXer
cised for the advantage of one class
against another. The present ten
dency was to produce great ag-
gregations Of people-large cities
because the corporate agencies of
the government gave special privi-
leges to favored points, taxing some
localities for the benefit Of others.
1t was not for the public good that
this should be so. If one desired to
start a factory ut an intermediate
point it could not now be done. Not
because advantages were lacking,
but because the government agencies
would tax it in the way of transpor-
tation charges for the purpose of
driving out competition. The men
who carry freight upon the great
natural highways-the rivers-have
no power of this kind They could
not forestall markets. If one chose
to charge exhorbitant rates, another
would enter upon the same line in
competition. The railroads now
asked authority to fix rates, which
will drive the boats from the rivers.
Their charges were not to be fixed
in accordance with any systematic
adjustment Of rates, but, as matter
of competition in which one party or
the other must go under. There were
classes of goods, and always would
I've, which would 90 by rail, prospect
i've of rates on competing lines. He
noticed by the reports laid before
the commission by some of the roads
that their through traffic was only
20 per cent. of their total traffic.
Now what proportion would they
lose if compelled to adopt uniform
rates? In his opinion it would be
inconsiderable.
Touching the local trade one man
whose shipments were but half q
carload was compelled to pay
fourth-class rates, while a larger
shipper of the same sort of material
shipping hundreds of carloads was
given rates of the fifth class, and
reaped advantages from this class of
discrimination which had tendency
to crush out the small shippers. In
his opinion it was the purpose Oft the
law to prevent these determinations
which foster great aggregations and
tend to the production of Gullivers
and Plgmies.
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20
rLAY's COMPROMISE

In view of the fact that vast in
vestments have been made on the
faith that Congress would continue
to compel the many to pay tribute
to the privileged few; in view of the
fact that sudden abandonment of
the protection policy might work a
hardship to certain colossal enter
prises which have become accustom-
ed to the subsidy that has been paid
to them by the balance of the COM
munity for so long time, the tariff
reformers do not propose to abolish
the protective feature without notice
and without warning; but they do
propose to restore the tariff gradu-
ally TO a revenue basis. If the Dem
ocratic party is wise it will plant
itself defiantly on proposition sim
liar to that offered by Henry Clay.
The celebrated tariff compromise Of
1888 was based on the principle of
al abandonment of the protective
system. He proposed gradual re-
duction of all tariff taxes then above
the revenue standard; one-tenth Of
One-half OF all taxes for protection,
above the revenue standard, was to
be taken off annually for ten years,
at the end of which period the whole
of the other half was to be taken off
and thereafter all duties were to be
levied mainly with view to revenue
and not with a view to protection.
If Henry Clay were now in Con
gress he would vote with Carlise,
Morrison, Reagan, Beck and Lucas;
he would vote against Randall, Cam
den, Kenna and Henry G.. Davis.
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20

by argument, and these columns are
open to Il fair discussion.
To prohibit the manufacture Of
intoxicants in West Virginia at this
time. simply means to break up GER
tain local enterprises and to give the
adjoining States the benefit of this
industry without in the slightest
degree diminishing the use of intox-
ieants in this State. One illustra-
ton will apply to many others. The
harrisburg distillery does not sell
a gallon of its product in West Vir-
qinia; the salesrOOm is in Philadel-
phia. and we must order the whisky
from that city. Will the removal of
this distillery six miles across the
border into Maryland check the sup
plv of those who are accustomed to
purchase this whiskey in Philadel-
phia. We are informed that this
distillery distributes $4,000 annu-
ally in Berkeley county; shall we
remove it out of our State? Shall we
remove it when not a drop of its pro-
duct is sold within the limits of
West Virginia? How will its remov-
al promote temperance? 1t is our
purpose to discuss this subject in
such way that thoughtful men will
come to a clear apprehension that
the cause of temperance is likely to
be injured by persons whose judg-
ment is warped by their zeal.
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20
Rate.
sI@,30,l0,

The Wheeling Register prints an
other interview with ex Senator Cam
den. The following sentence is
worth being repeated:
"The Senator looked the same as
when HIS BENEVOLENT GRAY
HAIRS were last seen upon our
streets"
The Register is a better comic
paper than Puck. The latter never
invented a picture equal to "beneyo.
lent gray hairs"
Apart from the announcement by
Mr. Camden that he has retired as a
candidate there is nothing in the
interview of interest except the fol
lowing extracts: The Registers
reporter is represented as asking
Mr.. Camden what he thought-of
the proposition to reorganize the Elk
ecutiye Committee. To this the ex-
Senator replied:
That would seem the proper thing.
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20

they would pay if such law were not
in existence.
The present tariff embraces 1000
articles and the tax averages AZ
cents on the 100 cents In conse-
ouence of this tax the unprivileged
class pays to the protected class at
least 81, 900, 900, 900 a year. Be it re
membered, the present tariff puts
into the treasury only $500, 900, 900
a year, while it compels the unprlvl-
legged class to pay to the privileged
class 81 900, 100000 annually. Five
dollars is taken from one class and
given to the other class for every
one dollar that goes into the treas
ury. This policy would not be toll
Grated a single day if the real truth
was comprehended by the rank and
file.
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20

cessive charges for transporting
their products to market.
No individual, applying labor and
capital in the cultivation of the soil,
can. nv resolution, add to his wealth.
He cannot increase the quantity or
price of his wheat by any such
means. but those who transport the
grain to market can and do REFUGE
it's price to the producer by charg-
ing rates to pay dividends on ilc'l-
tious capital in railroad lines tha'
carry the wheat to market. 1t no
Pigment of the imagination, but a
plainly demonstrable fact, that tar
ifs to compel the payment OF inter.
est and dividends on thousands OF
millions of dollars of fraudulent cap
ital are & serious burden to both
agriculture and commerce. The
game of the corporation is to make
$4,000 or $4,000 earn interest on
100000, and this can only be done
by extorting the money tiom the
people.
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20

quitous free pass system and thus
stop railroads from exercising a
baneful influence in political conven-
tions and in the Legislature.
2. 1t establishes uniform and
public rate of freights. 1t does not
undertake to say what the rates
shall be, but it does say that a rail
road shall not charge more for a
short than for longer distance; and
it does say that one man shall not
be given an advantage over another.
1t prohibits all determinations in
favor of one locality or one shipper
as against another locality or an
other shipper. This will of necessi-
ty increase local business and every
locality will be guaranteed the
fruits of its own industry and the
benefit of its own natural adyan-
tagcs.
3. On account of her natural
wealth, vet to be developed; on ac-
count of her central situation and
on account of her being surrounded
by very prosperous States, West
Virginia is peculiarly interested in
having legislation of this character.
She is more interested than any
other State in the Union. The only
way to reap the harvest that is be-
fore us. is to enforce the same prop
ositions Congress applies to inter
State commerce. The opposition to
this measure comes from men who
have not sufficiently considered the
subject or from persons who are in
terested in continuing vicious sys-
TEN which injnres nine-tenths of the
population.
4. 1t is important to take this
subject out of politics, and to do so
we must adopt legislation Of this
character. The gentlemen who make
objections to the bill do not offer to
obviate their objections. They do
not want any legislation calculated
to give the people the protection
that the occasion requires and which
the popular judgment demands.
This subject will never 90 out of
politics till the Legislature obeys
the public will.
5. All the States that have here
tofore adopted such legislation have
found it beneficial, and local freights
have invariably increased. e.
Such was the case on the Pennsyl-
vania railroad.
Colonel Chew had some very in
teresting figures on this point,which
he had gathered, and when he finish
ed if test vote had been forced, on
the spot, | do not believe the politi-
clans would have dared 90 on the
Record against the bill.
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20
Oppressive oyercapitalization.
Jackson { Mich. Patriot.

1t is not the payment of earnings
on honest capital that is objected to
by business men and others, but on
fictitious capital. The trick Of cor
porations is to issue stocks and sc
curities that do not represent money
actually paid in, and then endeavor
to earn enough from the public to
pay interest or dividends on them
and thus make them valuable. This
is simply getting something for
nothing-making money for a fortu
tunate few by resolution, and not by
labor and capital applied to pub
lie use. In no direction and on so
grand a scale has this been carried
into effect as in railroad corpora
tions. Mr.. II. V. Poor, author of
the Railroad Manual, tells rs that
the railway building for the year
1884 was about 1000 miles, 1.-The cost
of which did not exceed $4,000 per
mile, and perhaps not over $l3,OOO
a mile" and yet he informs us that
"the cost per mile of all the roads
making return, as measured BY the
amount of their stocks and indebt-
edness, equaled very nearly SCI,
400"
Figures cannot present the bur
dens ofovercapitalization in strong
er light. The reason for issuing
this enormous volume of stocks and
bonds, representing in some cases
800 to 400 per cent. more than the
actual cash invested, is to make
money out of the public on fictitious
capital, and this can be done only
by charging for freight and passen-
ger traffic a sufficient sum to make
a ''fair return" on SCI 400 for every
$4,000 to $4,000 invested. As in
the West the farmers can furnish
the bulk of the freight, it is plain
that large part of the money &c
give value to this bogus capital il
taken from them in the form Of OK.
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20
Common Sense of General Law.

Pertinent to the discussion of the
effect of the provision in our Consti-
tuition. which prohibits convention
of the members Of the Legislature
from entering upon business not
named in the Governors call, Judge
Cooley's masterful work on Consti
tutional Limitations may be quoted
on every phase of the question moot
ed. Fol instance: I'm interpreting
clauses we must presume that words
have been employed az their natural
and ordinary meaning. Says Mar
shall, c. j., 'The trainers of the Con-
stitution, and the people who adopted
il. must be understood 10 have en-
ployed words in their natural sense,
and to have understood what they
meant This is but saying that no
forced or unnatural construction is
to be put upon their language; and
il seems so obvious truism that
one expects to see il universally
accepted without question.
Narrow aud technical reasoning IL
misplaced when it is brought to bear
upon an instrument framed by the
people themselves, for themselves.
and designed as Il chart upon which
every man, learned or unlearned,
may be able to trace the leading
principles of government (4th
edition, p. 49,.
This distinguished jurist next pro
cceds to discuss the rules of con
struction and the decisions, com
menting cspeciallyat pages S9-9O,on
the fact that negative words. which
limit power are construed as man
datory and not directory, and finally
concludes Cat page 1922:
"We have thus indicated some OF
the rules which we think are TO he
observed in the construction of con-
situations. 1t will be perceived that
we have not thought it important to
quote and to dwell upon those arbl-
trary rules to which so much atten-
ton is sometimes given, and which
SAVIOR rather of the closet than of
practical life. All external aids,
and especially all arbitrary rules,
applied to instruments of this popu-
lar character, are of very uncertain
value.
On these principles who would
imagine that Senator could be
elected by an extra meeting, conven
ton or session of the Legislature,
which was called by the Governor
for no such purpose, and which
could center upon no business ex-
cept that stated in the Governors
proclamation"
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20

We constantly hear certain poll
ticians recommended because they
are "organizers." Our experience is,
that this means they are diligent to
beg money from aspirants for office
and from persons who ind a profit
in preventing or in promoting par
tieular legislation. The Tin Plate
company subscribed large sum of
money to send Jarrett to Illinois to
defeat Congressman Morrison. Jar
rett is an organizer" The Knights
of Labor are tricked into voting for
a traitor; the man who betrayS them
is an organizer" But there is a
different sort of "organizer;" Car
Isle is an organizer, because he con-
vinces the judgment Of the people
and brings them to endorse the pro-
positions he announces. Carlisle's
power lies in the fact that he induces
voters to act in concert for the prr-
pose of effecting such legislation as
will be of a public benefit. Perhaps,
Jarrett's money can defeat Carlisles
arguments. Perhaps, money can
purchase enough Ignorance to elect
msn who shape legislation to enable
the few to plumber the many. We
do not undertake to determine
which is the stronger, the system
represented by Carlisle, or the sys
TEN represented by Jarrett-but this
we do knOw-if Jarrett'S scheme Of
organization is to prevail, then the
sooner we dispel the illusion that
the people govern themselves by
casting ballots the better it will be
for the class who trade sweat for
bread.
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20

\ tariff is tax upon foreign arti-
cles imported into this country.
When levied for the purpose OF rails
inc revenue for the government 1t rs
called revenue tariff. When i'm
posed for the purpose of aiding in
dividuals il is called protective
tariff.
We are il favor Of the first; TO
the latter we are una!terably OPP
posed. Never with our consent shall
a tax be laid for the purpose Of aid
inc certain individuals at the eX-
pense of the balance of the commu-
nitv
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20
Senator Faulkner is at his home

Senator Faulkner is at his home
in Martinsburg. His election gives
better satisfaction than could have
been expected TO result from the Sc
lection of any Of the gentlemen who
were most prominent for the place.
1t is understood that he proposes TO
apply himself TO the study of the
po' itical questions now under dis
cussion before expressing an opin
ion or taking his position. Having
reached his conclusions he proposes
to be aggressive in an effort to bring
the party back to true principles.
If he pursues this course, he will be
invinciblc before the people. The
public have wearied Of timid, truck
ling timc-serving politicians.
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20


The Senate of the United States
represents, in peculiar sense, the
States rs States. Can it be that the
Federal law intends that the State
shall be represented in the Senate
by a man elected by body from
which the State has withheld the
power to "enter upon" such an cleo
tionl
The letter killeth, but the spirit
maketh alive" and when the Fed
eral law imposes the duty of electing
upon a meeting of the Legislature
it can only mean a meeting author
lied to act; not meeting of mem
bers to 90 on fishing excursion.
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20

lf prohibiting i'm West Virginia
the sale and manufacture of il toXi-
cants would advance temperance,
then the DEMOCRAT would undoubt-
eddy advocate the adoption of the
proposed amendment. Wc,are as
much in favor of preventing drunk
enuess as any Of the persons who
gains livelihood by talking about the
misery that comes from drink. But
this is simply question of econom-
les; it is not a question whether
drunkenness is an cvil,-all admit
that
We believe in temperance socie
ties and in local option. When pub
lie opinion in a community is ready
To close the bar-rooms, the local au.
thorities will refuse license; but to
attempt TO close them in advance Of
public opinion, means clanoestine
drinking; and we have seen enough
of this world TO know that clandes-
tine drinking ruins more young men
than the saloons conducted as the
present law requires. Having given
this subject full consideration, we
feel prepared to sustain our views
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20
THE JUDAS-KISS OF THE RAIL
ROADS.
Philadelphia Record.

As was manifest from the very
outStart, there is q concert of action
on the part OF the railroad corpora
tions and their newspaper seryitors
to Systematically besmut the Inter
state Commerce law, the purpose be-
ing ultimately to excite popular
groan for its repeal. Rates for To-
cal freights as we'll as for through
freights have been increased, and a
false allegation has been beaten with
"damnable iteration" on the public
ear-drum, to wit: That the extra
charges were rendered necessary by
West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20

The whole Interstate Commerce
disputation resolves itself into the
question whether the horse that car
ries or the man who owns the load
shall control the direction in which
it shall be sent TO market, and the
share of it which the horse may eat
and which the owner may sell. There
are casuists who think everything
should be left to the discretion OF the
horse.-PhildG. Record.